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Tancredo picks ex-legislator as running mate in governor’s race

Former state Rep. Pat Miller will be Tom Tancredo’s running mate in his bid to be the next Colorado governor.

Miller, who served one term in the Colorado House, 1991-92, switched her party affiliation from Republican to the American Constitution Party to run with Tancredo.

Tancredo, a former five-term GOP congressman from the 6th Congressional District, made the same party switch last month after scandals broke over the two Republican candidates in the race: Dan Maes received a record fine for campaign-finance violations, and Scott McInnis admitted to plagiarism in a project for which he was paid $300,000.

The former ACP candidate, Ben Goss, dropped out to make way for Tancredo. His running mate, Doug “Dayhorse” Campbell, followed suit to make way for Miller.

“Pat and I have been friends for over 25 years,” Tancredo said in a statement. “I have complete confidence in her dedication to conservative principles and in her abilities to step into the job of governor and hit the ground running, if the need arises.”

After losing her re-election bid to a Democrat in 1992, Miller ran an unsuccessful campaign to replace then-U.S. Rep. David Skaggs in the 2nd Congressional District.

The Erie resident spent the next six years as executive director of Citizens for Responsible Government, a pro-life group. Currently, she is vice president of Colorado Citizens for Life.

Miller and her husband, Lynn, have one son and two grandchildren.

Earlier this month, Maes, who edged McInnis in the Aug. 11 primaries, named former state Rep. Tambor Williams, R-Greeley, as his running mate. Democrat John Hickenlooper chose Joe Garcia, president of Colorado State University-Pueblo.